My name is Brendan O’Byrne. I have been the resident pianist at Ashford Castle for 39 years, until very recently. Even though I’ve retired formally from Ashford, I wouldn’t close the door and I’m open to go up on occasion and play for an hour. I’ve played music for famous people and film stars. I’ve had a great time doing it. I suppose there’s an old saying that says, if you enjoy your work, you never work a day in your life. Well, I think I was that soldier. I never worked a day from the time I joined Ashford.
Tommy Makem was in the house. His agent came up to me at the piano and asked if it would be alright if he came to the dungeon. I proposed that we would close the lights and the stage, he could sit on one side and I on the other, with his sons sitting around, and we started the session. The session finished at six o’clock the following morning, with the room still full, so much so that the restaurant staff were very perplexed, because all the guests were coming up the stairs rather than down the stairs for the breakfast.
I began to get a pain in my back, and it just wasn’t going away. It was getting worse and worse, and then suddenly, I started to lose a lot of weight, and I was diagnosed with type two diabetes. The pain and the weight loss weren’t stopping, and it went from there to being scanned, which showed up a shadow. There was a further MRI done, and the tumour was discovered.
The registrar at the hospital under my consultant recommended at my first chemo session to register with Galway Hospice. The following day, I got my GP to do so.
I talked with the hospice social worker, and he was very helpful. He suggested to me about the daycare. I decided to give it a go, and I can honestly say it’s the best thing ever. Why? Firstly, it gets me out of the house one day a week, which is great. I come in to see other people, and the inhouse services such as aromatherapy, physiotherapy, art therapy, these are all on hand for you to use.
It’s a fantastic service, that’s the bottom line. They go out of their way to see that you’re comfortable and that you’re happy with everything. It’s brilliant. Palliative care is not to be feared. It has been a great support to me on this journey. From the day I registered with the hospice and up to now through daycare, which I find is nothing short of excellent.
